Process of making cushion-tires



F. W. STRANG.

PROCESS OF MAKING CUSHION TIRES. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.8. 1919.

1,346,389. Patented July 13, 1920.

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SSIGNOR T0 GIBRALTAR; TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY, OF DALLAS TEXAS, A CGI'ITIIQN- LAW CGMPANY HAVING AS ITS TRUSTEES FRED W. STRANG, JU$TIN O. DASPIT, AND JOSEPH C. SLOAN, ALL

OF DALLAS,

PROCESS OF MAKING CUSHION-TIRES.

Application filed. September To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, F RED WV. STRANG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Making CushionTires, of which the following solvent and the whole assemblage madehomogeneous. The blanks are subjected to pressing while being vulcanized and the density depends largely upon the degree of pressure.

The next step consists in placing the core which has been formed with the blanks, in a circular mold and coating said core with crude rubber to form a tread and a rubber jacket completely surrounding the core. The vulcanizing is completed so that the rubber and fabric are thoroughly cooked. together.

To form the rubber-fabric blanks from new material would be very expensive and an economical feature is the cutting of the blanks from discarded cord tire casings from which the treads have been removed. The cords in such tire casings are disposed in layers, the cords of one layer crossing those of the next layer at right angles thereto. It will be seen that when the blanks are assembled in my tire, the cords will lie in radial planes at right angles to each other, and further that the ends and not the sides of cords, will be presented on the wearing surface. Such a structure will not disintegrate and. these tires will retain their shape and wear with satisfaction to the rim of the wheel. By reclaiming discarded or junk casings my tires can be produced at an extremely low cost.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accom- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented may 13,1920. 8, 1919. Serial No. 322,325.

panying drawings, in which an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of one of the rubber-fabric blanks,

F ig. 2 is a similar view showing the cords at right angles to Fig. 1, i

F ig. 3 is a broken section through a complete tire, and

Fig. 4: is a side elevation of a number of blanks arranged on the assembling rods.

In the drawings the numeral 10 designates a rubber-fabric blank having a shape substantially the same as that exhibited by a cross section of a rubber tire. The blank is formed of layers of cord embedded in rubber, the cords of one layer crossing those of next layers at right angles thereto as Is indicated by full and dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2. By disposing the layers of cords at right angles the completed tire will be stronger and the cords of one layer will resist a strain in line with cords of another layer which latter is at right angles to the cords of the first layer and further if the cords all extended in the same general direction, the tire might have a tendency to split circumferentially. The blanks may be stamped from new material, but such a step would be very expensive and under some conditions prohibited. In order that the blanks may be economically produced, and discarded tire casings reclaimed, said blanks are preferably stamped from discarded cord tire casings which would otherwise be thrown away.

Before the blanks are cut the tread rubber and undesirable portions of the casings are cut off and. the casings buffed. It is obvious that a large number of blanks may be obtained from such casings. Each blank is provided with. a plurality of holes 11 in triangular relation at the central portion. Bead portions 12 are formed on each blank with a. V-shaped recess therebetween.

In carrying out the process a plurality of rods 14:, one for each hole 11. are provided. The blanks are assembled on these rods and between each blank 10 a thin blank 15 of crude or unvulcanized rubber, such as is used for vulcanizing rubber and fabric together. The blanks 15 preferably have the same shape as the blanks 10, but this is notessential. After asutficientn-umber 5 at the same time partially vulcanized in a suitableapparatus (not shown); A pressure of eight hundred pounds .has been ioundto be satisfactory. The vulcanizing makes the rubber blanks 15 and the rubber L0 in the blanks sufficiently solvent. orplastic to unite and form a homogeneous mass or core by,reason ofthe pressure which is exerted.

The core is preferably made of such a length as to give the required circumference :when pressejd in circular -mold (not shown), although it is obvious that the core might ,i be made in sections and assembled in said mold. Unvulcanized rubber is applie}dlto;the coreso as to completely surround or ineasethesame and form ajacket -;16havingagthickenedtread portion F17 as is shown in Fig. 3. The core and jacket are vulcanized so ,as ;to properly cure the tire. ,The jacket ctorms a "protective coating for the 1 ends. of the cords embedded in the ,blanks 10, but Lit is to be understood the Ytire ,is not to :depend upon wearing :through the {jacket because :the =-tire may -be used .until the core is Worn down to .the rim. The openings :11 form air spaces which lQIlClgtO the, resiliency, and the recesses -13=-beco me s a channel in the rubber tire ,which permitsthe; bead portions to be compressedgin pressingltheitire on a rim.

1. The processof making cushion tires which includes (forming a plurality of rubber-fabric blanks, then assembling said blanks with alternate blanks of rubber .the-rebetween, then forming a. core'by subher-fabric blanks, then assembling the core in a circular shape and vulcanizing a rubber jacket around the core.

c 2. Theprocess of makingcushion tires which includes forminga plurality of rubthe blanks with their faces acent and with blanks of rubber disposed therebetween,

.then forming a core by subjecting the blanks to a considerable pressure longltudinallyand at the same time vulcanizing the core, and then disposlng the core m a c1rcular form and :v-ulcanizing a rubber jacket around the core.

8. The processof making cushion .tires which includes stamping a plurality of l lanks "fromj cord tire casings so that the cords extendlengthwise of the blanks, and

' providing the blanks with one .or .more transverse openings, then ,assemblmg the blanks onone or 'more rods passing through the openings of the sameand disposing between the 'blanks other blanks or rubber, then subjecting theblanks to a considerable pressure longitudinally of the assemblage and-vulcanizmgfthe sameto form a core,

. and then removing the core from the rods and placing the sa-mein circular form and vulcanizing a-rubberjjacket around the core.

4:. The process of -making cushion tires which ncludes stamping a plurality of blanks from cord tire casings, then assembling sald blanks 1n successive order,then

vulcanizing said'blanks together with rubber therebetween to form a core, anduthen ncasmg-the' core n a circular acket by -means of vulcanization.

Intestimony whereof Laflix my signature.

FRED. w. STRANG- 

